Colombia crews search for quake survivors; Trump’s secret Air Force One switch in Turkey

A powerful earthquake has killed more than 160 people in Colombia, with rescuers still searching collapsed buildings for survivors.

Plus, President Donald Trump says the Strait of Hormuz is open despite Iran’s refusal to back down from its demands.

And Jackie, the beloved Big Bear bald eagle whose nest captivated viewers around the world, has died after weeks of intensive care.

These stories and more highlight your Unbiased Updates for Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026.

Rescue teams search for survivors after Colombia earthquake kills at least 164

The search for survivors continues after Colombia’s most powerful earthquake this century killed more than 160 people and left others trapped beneath collapsed buildings.

The earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday, damaging about 1,600 buildings across the country. At least 61 totally collapsed. Just after the 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit, video shows part of a building giving way as debris crashed into the street, followed by a wall of dust.

But amid all that destruction, other videos show moments of hope, like when rescue crews pulled a woman alive from the rubble in Manizales, carrying her out on a stretcher and into a waiting ambulance.

Now, as of Tuesday morning, the search continues, with people still believed to be trapped.

The quake was centered near San José del Palmar in Chocó, but the shaking was felt throughout Colombia and into neighboring Ecuador and Panama.

The death toll has now reached at least 164, according to Reuters, with dozens more injured. Those numbers could still rise as crews reach some of the hardest-hit areas.

Colombia has declared a national emergency as troops, specialized rescue teams and equipment are now moving into the disaster zone. For crews on the ground, the priority hasn’t changed: find the people still buried in the rubble and, hopefully, rescue them alive. 

Trump claims US controls Hormuz and rejects Iran’s demand for compensation

Trump said the Strait of Hormuz is open and claims the U.S. now controls the critical shipping lane. The president told reporters Monday the U.S. controls the strait “100%” and called the navy’s blockade of ships heading to or from Iran “infallible.”

Iran disagreed, insisting it controls security in the strait and refusing to fully reopen it unless the U.S. meets a list of demands, including lifting sanctions and paying Iran for war-related damage.

Trump’s response? Iran should pay the U.S. instead.

“They asked for reparations, you might say, or they asked for money for the damage that we’ve done. I said, that’s a good idea,” Trump said. “Well, we’re going to ask for money for that damage they’ve done over a 50-year period, whether you go SS Cole or whether you go all of the people that were so badly hurt, so badly wounded or killed, many thousands of people.”

Trump also said Iran should compensate the families of protesters killed by the Iranian government, including what he claims are 52,000 people killed over the past five months. He said he has instructed his negotiators to make compensation a part of any future talks.

Trump secretly switched planes in Turkey following a threat from Iran

Trump publicly boarded Air Force One in Turkey last month, but he never left the country on it, according to The Washington Post.

Trump had flown to Ankara for the NATO summit on the newer, Qatar-donated presidential jet.

Before leaving, he said he would switch to the older Air Force One “for old time’s sake,” and then boarded that plane in front of cameras. But minutes later, Trump secretly got off on the other side.

The Post reported that an airport catering truck took the president and a small group of aides across the tarmac to a third plane, an Air Force C-32A, which flew Trump to Britain.

The older Air Force One also took off, with reporters and some White House staff aboard who believed the president was still with them.

So why all the secrecy?

U.S. officials previously told CBS News they had detected a credible plot by Iran and its proxies to launch a missile at the plane carrying Trump. The Secret Service then moved to a backup plan.

The White House said that such precautions are necessary because enemies of the U.S. have their sights set on the president.

Trump executive order seeks to space out vaccines, split MMR shot

Trump has signed an executive order calling for major changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, including spacing out shots and splitting the Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR) vaccine.

The order calls for separating the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine into three individual shots, something that is not currently available in the U.S. It also calls for childhood vaccines to be given at separate appointments whenever possible.

While announcing the changes, Trump once again raised the possibility of a connection between vaccines and autism.

“Decades ago, children received only a small fraction of the vaccines required today. In those times, people were much healthier, and of course, the high rates of autism now observed did not exist.

While we do not know exactly what the cause is with respect to autism, it is essential to our research efforts that we have the very best vaccine recommendations in the entire world. So we’re reducing them, we’re changing it to visits over a period of a year, a year and a half, so they get 20% of what they would have gotten in one big shot — like the large glass of something.”

President Donald Trump

But decades of research involving millions of children have found no link between childhood vaccines and autism.

The order also directs the Health and Human Services Department to conduct more vaccine research and develop a plan to make separate measles, mumps and rubella shots available.

Medical groups are pushing back. The American College of Physicians called the order part of a “troubling pattern by the administration to attempt to unilaterally change vaccine guidance, rather than relying on the transparent, scientific review.”

And one of the sharpest responses came from within Trump’s own party.

I’m a doctor. This executive order is wrong. The President does not have the expertise to make these changes.

Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines DO NOT cause autism.

Breaking up vaccines will mean children have to get more shots to get the same… https://t.co/9RoPfVsU8h

— U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (@SenBillCassidy) August 10, 2026

Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy, who is a doctor and chairs the Senate health committee, said flatly, “This executive order is wrong.”

He added: “Vaccines are overwhelmingly safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines do not cause autism.”

Vaccine requirements for schoolchildren are still governed by states, not the federal government.

Blanche takes over Justice Department after surviving 50-49 Senate vote

The U.S. has a new attorney general as Todd Blanche was sworn in Monday by federal appeals court judge Emil Bove, a former Trump attorney.

Blanche won Senate confirmation early Saturday in a razor-thin 50-to-49 vote, with every Democrat and two Republicans, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, voting against him.

.@AGToddBlanche has been officially sworn in as the Attorney General of the United States!

Congratulations to a great lawyer and an even better man!!! pic.twitter.com/jbYvb8ibIZ

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) August 10, 2026

Blanche has already overseen investigations into several Trump opponents, including former FBI Director James Comey. But Blanche said he feels no pressure to placate the president.

At the same time, he said the president has both the “right” and “duty” to involve himself in Justice Department matters.

Blanche had already been leading the Justice Department on an acting basis since Trump fired Pam Bondi in April.

Jackie, the beloved bald eagle watched by millions, dies

Jackie, the beloved bald eagle seen by millions around the world, has died. She was about 14 years old.

For years, people watched Jackie and her mate, Shadow, build their nest, weather snowstorms, care for their eggs and raise their young, all through a livestream high above Big Bear Lake in California.

People truly fell in love with them.

Rescuers saved Jackie last month after she was found weak and unable to fly following a fight with two younger eagles.

She spent more than three weeks at the Ojai Raptor Center, where veterinarians discovered she was severely anemic. They gave her a blood transfusion and round-the-clock care, but never found what was making her so sick.

She died early Monday morning.

Jackie leaves behind a lasting legacy.

She and Shadow raised several eaglets, including Luna and Sandy, who fledged just this summer.

The Ojai Raptor Center ended its message about Jackie with this: “To everyone who cared about patient 26-519, thank you. Thank you for your messages, your prayers, your encouragement, and for standing beside our team throughout these past weeks.

We are deeply grateful for the way patient 26-519 brought people together through a shared love of wildlife.”

For anyone who spent years checking in on that nest — this one hurts.

So we’ll borrow the words from the people who knew her best: soar free, Jackie.

More from Straight Arrow:

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